OCTA: Hospitals seen to remain in ‘critical stage’ until end of week

Hospital occupancy will remain critical levels until the end of the week despite the continued implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the NCR Plus bubble, an OCTA Research fellow said on Monday.

At the Laging Handa public briefing, Dr. Butch Ong said the number of COVID-19 cases admitted in  hospitals was expected to improve in a week or two.

“We're expecting to see an improvement of the number of cases found in the hospital maybe in a week or two…Right now, I don't see the hospital utilization being eased a bit,” Ong said.

“Mag-e-expect pa tayo na medyo nasa critical level pa ‘yung hospital natin perhaps in the middle of this week until the end of this week,” he added.

[We can still expect that the hospitals will be in critical stage perhaps in the middle of the week until the end of this week.]

Due to the surge in COVID-19 cases, the national government placed Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna,and  Rizal or NCR Plus under ECQ from March 29 to April 4 with a new set of regulations.

Under ECQ, only authorized persons outside residence (APOR) including essential workers are allowed to go outside their homes.

The implementation of the strictest quarantine qualification has since been extended until April 11.

The Filipino Nurses United and the Alliance of Health Workers has warned that the healthcare system was on the verge of collapse amid the surge in COVID-19 cases.

Philippine Hospital Association said hospitals had already been "overwhelmed and overrun" amid the surge of cases mainly due to their depleted and overworked manpower.

However, Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega has denied that the health system was losing the battle vs. COVID-19.

"The health system is not collapsing. It's just that we are trying to manage the challenge of the surge," said Vega, who is also the country's treatment czar. --NB, GMA News